New Idea…

I think I want to try to cook something new everyday. I can’t really eat most of it, but I have this desire to cook. Now that I’m no longer hungry in the same sense, I find my desire to cook nearly overwhelming. Is this what they mean when they say you find a new obsession after wls? It feels like the same one, only a different focus. Now I want to cook. I want to stay home and cook and all day, finding new recipes, trying new things. I can’t explain it. I always wanted to be a chef, but something held me back. It might have been my love of food, not wanting it to be damaged by the demands of school and structure and having to be perfect. Now that I’ve had the surgery, the urge is back, strong. I don’t really get hungry at the food, though some smells bring back a mouth watering sensation. I think it’s more like a memory than anything else. Cuz once I eat it, even if it’s a taste…I’m pretty much done for the day. I don’t need anything else. I also realized that I get hungry only cuz I know I’m supposed to. If I don’t think about my schedule for a minute of when I should eat and when I should drink…I go off the grid and just drink all day. Then, at the last minute, I go “Oh crap, I should be eating.” and then I go and eat some protein and I’m done. I think that would make a good cook in the kitchen, but I can’t be sure. At least I wouldn’t gain a lot of weight nibbling on everything.

I do have a few ideas on opening my restaurant(s) but I’m still on the fence. I def want a place for bariatric patients to eat and not feel that they are wasting their money. More like a place to eat for all people who are on diets or some kind of special eating plan. Hmmm…ideas are flowing now.

6 week check up…solid food

Today was the 6 week check up for me. Had to say, all was well. though, the belly button thing is irritating. It’s not healing as well as I’d like for it to. Since it’s still raw, no swimming. But…that’s not the best part.

Best Part: I’m on solid food now. I was mostly before, but now…the gates are open. Not saying I’m going to go crazy now. I still have to take it slow, since we don’t know how my system will react to things. I’m very excited to be at this point. I feel that I’ve made it this far in the process. I never thought that I would, but…oh yeah, it feels good.

what this means though is that I’m now going to have to really be careful what I eat. I can’t be as careless as I used to be with my foods. Also means that I get to use more cooking methods and recipes. Basically, it’s on.

New old stuff

^{Last night was another adventure into leftover cooking. No quesadillas this time, since I ran out of tortillas. This time, we made spaghetti, using the rest of the pork and a few other vegetables I had in the fridge. Chop up a little celery and onion, add the pork, some barbecue sauce, fresh squeezed orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and you have a whole new item on the menu.}

^{Alas, I did not get to eat any of this. I am not allowed to eat pasta at this stage of eating, so I just watched from the sidelines, drinking water. I can’t remember what I ate, but I’m sure it was good. It’s funny how after surgery, I can barely remember eating, but before, I’d be all about it. I talked to my PCP the other day about how I still have the mentality of wanting to eat everything on my plate, but the reality is that I can’t. I have to retrain myself to listen to my body and not ignore the signs that I’m full, otherwise, what was the point of the surgery?}

^{Starting Monday, the hubby and I are going to have a whole new meal scenario. No more huge portions for him, no more fatty foods, though I will allow him a treat or two. I’ve noticed that if you deny yourself something for too long, you binge. So better to treat than to explode in anger at not having a cookie. I also got us new workout clothes and we WILL be joining a gym. Once I’m off this restriction of not lifting over 10 lbs, it’s on.}

New Beginnings...

NEW BEGINNINGS…

Oh god…not another food blog. Ah but this one is going to be different, with us discussing more than just food. On November 29, I underwent bariatric surgery. At the time, I was 260 lbs with BP of about 150/100. Scary eh? After researching my options and dieting longer than the Internet has been around, I made a serious decision to get my health under control. I waited until the technology caught up with the times, since I did not see myself being filleted like a fish. Once that happened, I went through the steps of being approved and here we are, on the other side of surgery, getting my bearings back while on stage three of food consumption.

Let’s start with the different stages.

Stage one: clear liquids. I was on this from the hospital until about two weeks into December. Nothing happening here, since my selection was very limited.

Stage two: Added to the broth was egg whites, cottage cheese, refried beans, and yogurt. Still not much going, since I was limited to this menu options.

STAGE THREE: this is in caps because the menu has greatly expanded and I can’t wait. At this point, we are allowed to eat mostly soft foods; though some things are still we are not allowed to eat. If it requires me to use a knife or has crunch…no go. Crockpot and I are going to be best friends. This is fine for me. With Christmas two days away, this opens up a whole new world for me that I can’t wait to explore. At this point, we are experimenting with herbs, seasonings, everything to see what we can or can’t eat. That is the reason I’m starting this blog. At this point, it’s going to be fun cooking again and trying things out.

Stage four: Solids. That means everything else. I’m excited about this step, but nervous as well. At this point, we’ll be eating everything else and testing things out. This is when it can dicey, so we’ll have to move slow at this point. That day comes January 12, 2011.

I’m starting this blog for other people who are going through what I am. I’ve gone through a lot of food blogs and while they have specialty diets, they are not necessarily geared towards the bariatric patient. I’m not vegan nor do I want to. I don’t have an aversion to whey or wheat and I have to have meals with at least 70% protein. Yup…that’s right.

Not everyone that has had WLS is going to be on the same plan as me. Some Dr’s have different standards and that’s fine. A lot of the guidelines are the same and most everyone will be able to follow along, with a couple of exceptions. For those of you in the know, my surgeon is Dr. Michael Snyder. Great surgeon and wonderful staff. If you’re in CO, look him up. I will be occasionally having some advice from the dieticians at the office, but not always. That means if you decided to follow the recipes, please check with your Dr. and make sure you can do it. If not, change it.
For those of you who find this the easy way out and disagree with my decisions to do this…that’s nice. Don’t follow the blog and please don’t leave comments about it. I’m not all that nice of a person and I will respond in kind. This was the right decision for me and my health and I’m proud of it. It might not be right for others and that’s fine. I support them in whatever I do and I would never try to tell them what is right or wrong. I expect the same for my decisions.

With all that said, let’s get on to the meat of things. We are going to make Christmas Eve dinner, of which I will only be able to have about…1 oz of anything.
Good times.